This weekend ABC News reported on a bizarre Florida electrocution accident that claimed the life of a thirty two year old fisherman. Jason L. Reeves of Brooksville, Florida was pronounced dead this weekend after being found by his girlfriend in a lake at Clover Leaf Farms. A man who was near the water when Mr. Reeves’s body was found explained that the victim’s girlfriend ran to his house distraught after discovering the body floating in the water. Initially, the investigators assumed that the man had drowned. However, upon further analysis it became clear that Mr. Reeves was actually electrocuted by a charge coming from a nearby power line. His fishing lure was found dangling from a twelve foot line near where he had been fishing.
Local authorities explained that Mr. Reeves was casting a metal fishing lure and using a braided fishing line—a line which included a slight amount of metal within in. It is assumed that the man’s lure became caught on the 7,200-volt overhead power line that hangs just a few feet from the bank of the river. The man was then electrocuted before sliding down the bank and into the lake. A Power and Light technician that examined the scene of the Florida electrocution accident found that the fishing line involved was stronger than a regular line and likely had enough material to conduct the electricity. Authorities explain that they are still investigating the incident to determine exactly what happened and whether or not it should have been prevented.
Our Florida accident attorneys know that this situation presents a few unique legal issues. Whenever one is injured or killed in tragedies such as this, potential legal liability depends on very specific facts about the accidents. Those facts include including determining who had control over the area where the accident occurred and understanding the information available to those who controlled the area. Several residents interviewed after the tragedy explained that the point on the lake where the electrocution struck was a popular fishing spot. Some even admitted that their own lines had gotten caught on that very power line in the past. These facts may be relevant if a Florida electrocution accident lawsuit is filed seeking to hold a municipality or other involved party liable for the death.
Often these cases hinge on the common law rules of negligence. Liability may be found if a party owed a duty to the victim and they breached that duty causing an injury. In cases like this, the “breach” element is often at issue. Whether or not a landowner, power company, or municipality breached a duty owed to this fisherman would on depend on what those potential defendants knew about use of the area, whether or not the power line could have been higher or better secured, and comparable facts. In any event, all those involved in this and similar accidents are well advised to contact a Florida accident lawyer to ensure that their rights are protected.
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